The Edmonton Oilers are hoping to pull off a massive rally in the Stanley Cup Final, as they have won two straight games after falling into a 3-0 series deficit against the Florida Panthers to force a Game 6. Despite their recent turnaround, they have done all of this without star center Leon Draisaitl contributing much of anything throughout the series.
Through five games, Draisaitl has racked up just two assists, which is well below what is expected from him production-wise, and in a sense, it's a miracle they are still alive considering how important he is to their offense. Draisaitl knows that he needs to be better, and it sounds like he is looking at Game 6 as a potential opportunity to get back on track.
“Obviously not happy with the way I'm playing, haven't found my game, haven't found my leg. Just not the standard that I hold myself to, obviously. It's me. I hold myself to extremely high standards, and if I don't get to that, obviously I'm not happy with it. I've always been able to come back from stretches where I maybe haven't been at my best.” – Leon Draisaitl, ESPN
Oilers hoping Leon Draisaitl can find his footing in Game 6
Everyone knows how important Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are to the Oilers, and while McDavid has hit another gear against the Panthers, the opposite has been true for Draisaitl. They've gotten this far without him, but they are going to eventually need him to begin producing like he normally does if they intend on fully completing their rally from a 3-0 deficit.
To highlight just how unordinary these struggles are from Draisaitl, he finished the regular season campaign with 41 goals and 65 assists, making it his third straight season with over 100 points. For him to have just two points over a five game stretch is practically unheard of, and it's also a testament to how good the rest of his teammates have been over the past two games.
The Panthers are too good to continue losing to a team where one of their top players isn't producing, which is why it is imperative that Draisaitl gets going. The good news is that he still has everything left to play for, and if he can put together big outings in Game 6 and a potential Game 7, his previous struggles will all be forgotten about very quickly.
Draisaitl isn't hiding from his quiet Stanley Cup Final, and all eyes will be on him in Game 6 to see if he can break out of his recent slump. If he can, the Oilers will have a great shot to force a Game 7, which would put them one step closer to pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports.
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